aragonite en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Aragon + -ite, after the province in Spain, named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1790.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) An evaporite consisting of anhydrous calcium carbonate with the chemical formula CaCO₃ and occurring in pearls, shells and nacre; it is dimorphous with calcite.
The basic chemical material of molluscan shells is calcium carbonate, which forms the outer layer of calcite, and the inner layer of aragonite, which is a heavier and harder substance although it has the same chemical composition.
1955, Rachel Carson, The Edge of the Sea, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Appendix, p. 268:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| aragonites | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (17)
et aragoniit (saline evaporate) · ca aragonita (saline evaporate) · sk aragonit (saline evaporate) · eo aragonito (saline evaporate) · nv hadahoniyeʼ (saline evaporate) · cmn 霰石 (saline evaporate) · de Aragonit (saline evaporate) · es aragonito (saline evaporate) · it aragonite (saline evaporate) · ru арагони́т (saline evaporate) · th อราโกไนท์ (saline evaporate) · es aragonita (saline evaporate) · ja 霰石 (saline evaporate) · pl aragonit (saline evaporate) · fr aragonite (saline evaporate) · pt aragonita (saline evaporate) · fi aragoniitti (saline evaporate)